"Nikky, life is really stressful these days..."  I met her eyes and it suddenly dawned on me that it was time for me to stop and listen to my friend. ___________ Stress has become an increasingly serious problem in many countries and a variety of social and economic factors contribute to this trend. In my view, rising global instability, poor governance, and the pressures created by modern media all play a significant role in increasing our stress levels. So, What Causes Our Stress Levels to Spike? I will save your time by not delving into the long list of factors that are stress triggers. Hence, I will focus on what I consider the pertinent causes we overlook or ignore due to our biases or divergent opinions .